(Sarasota, FL) The Baltimore Orioles and the Mayors’ Feed the Hungry Program are teaming up again this year to collect and distribute food to help people in need in Sarasota. The Orioles will collect non-perishable food items at Ed Smith Stadium beginning on Monday, November 6, and will host the charity’s Thanksgiving Sorting Day at the ballpark on Friday, November 17.

Non-perishable food items may be dropped off at Ed Smith Stadium, located at 2700 12th Street, on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The collection station is located inside Café 54 on Euclid Avenue. The stadium will be closed on Friday, November 10, in observance of Veterans Day.

Additionally, volunteers are needed to sort food collected from locations throughout the community on Friday, November 17. Sorting will take place in the ballpark’s East Lot between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Volunteers do not need to sign up in advance.

“Partnering with the Mayors’ Feed the Hungry Program has become an important tradition for our organization, which has a long-standing commitment to fighting hunger, not just locally in Sarasota but also regionally throughout the Mid-Atlantic and internationally through a variety of partnerships,” said David Rovine, Vice President, Orioles-Sarasota. “We encourage local residents to participate in this important program by bringing non-perishable food items to Ed Smith Stadium and by volunteering to help sort donations. Together, we can help improve the lives of families in need throughout the Sarasota area.”

The Mayors’ Feed the Hungry Program is a nonprofit organization that has collected and distributed more than 200 tons of food and more than $3.5 million in food gift cards given to the hungry in Sarasota and Manatee counties since 1987. The organization’s Thanksgiving food drive collects more than 46 tons of non-perishable food items annually. Food is distributed through charitable groups, religious institutions, and service agencies. Mayors’ Feed the Hungry also uses cash donations to distribute food gift cards.

“Mayors’ Feed the Hungry is thrilled to team up with the Orioles again this year,” said Joel Swallow, chair of the Mayors’ Feed the Hungry program. “The Orioles very graciously open their Sarasota home to host our annual food drive, demonstrating their commitment to giving back to the community.”
The program is endorsed by the mayors of Sarasota, Bradenton, Palmetto, Venice, Longboat Key, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria, and North Port, as well as the chairs of the Sarasota County and Manatee County Commissions. More information can be found at www.mayorsfeedthehungry.org.Try Amazon Music Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial

The Baltimore Orioles announced their 2018 Grapefruit League home schedule, which opens on Friday, February 23 when they host the Tampa Bay Rays at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, FL at 1:05 p.m. ET. The club will wrap up its Grapefruit League home schedule on Saturday, March 24, when the Orioles host the Minnesota Twins at 6:05 p.m.

Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Tuesday, February 13, while the full-squad report date is set for Sunday, February 18. The 2018 season will mark the Orioles’ ninth consecutive Spring Training season in Sarasota and the club’s eighth at renovated Ed Smith Stadium.

The Orioles will face 10 different Major League opponents during the club’s 16-game home schedule. The Orioles will play the Tampa Bay Rays three times at Ed Smith Stadium and the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Toronto Blue Jays twice each. The Orioles will also square off against the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals each once at home.

The Orioles will also play four evening games at Ed Smith Stadium, February 24, and March 11, 20, and 24, with all night games beginning at 6:05 p.m.
Single game tickets for all 16 games at Ed Smith Stadium will go on sale Saturday, January 13, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. Fans interested in Season Plans, or those wishing to receive additional Spring Training ticket information, may call the Orioles Spring Training office in Sarasota at 941-893-6300. Fans interested in suite rentals or pregame party facilities should call 941-893-6317. More information regarding Orioles Spring Training in Sarasota is available at www.orioles.com/spring.

(Sarasota, FL) The Baltimore Orioles will host the team’s Fall Instructional League at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota with games that are free and open to the public from September 25 through October 10.

The Instructional League program focuses on specific individual development while providing additional playing time to accelerate a player’s progress through the minor league system.

Games are played on the Main Field, with parking available in the East Lot at no charge. Spectators may enter the ballpark through the Left Field Gate. The full Instructional League season schedule is listed below, and is also available online at www.orioles.com/sarasota. Additional games are expected to be added at a later date. The roster of players participating in this year’s Instructional League is attached.

(Sarasota, FL) The Baltimore Orioles Gulf Coast League (GCL) team will play its first home game of the 2017 season at the Ed Smith Stadium complex on Tuesday, June 27, at 12:00 p.m. against the GCL Twins. The GCL, which includes 17 teams, gives recently drafted or signed players their first experience in professional baseball.

The Orioles are scheduled to play 30 GCL home games between June 27 and September 1. The games are open to the public at no cost. Parking is free and located in the East Lot at the corner of 12th Street and Tuttle Avenue. Game times and location are subject to change without notice. A link to the season schedule is available online at www.orioles.com/sarasota.

Gulf Coast League games are just part of the Orioles’ year-round activities in Sarasota. In addition to Spring Training, Extended Spring Training, Gulf Coast League and Fall Instructional League, the Orioles host numerous amateur tournaments, games, and clinics in Sarasota County, as well as a variety of community activities and cultural events throughout the year.Try Amazon Music Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial

(Sarasota, FL) After impressing organizers of the prestigious Wilson Premier baseball tournament program in 2016, the Baltimore Orioles will host 15 days of competition in Sarasota County this summer from June 22 through July 12 during the Wilson Premier Championship East. The event is one of the largest Florida-based tournaments in amateur baseball and the largest tournament the Orioles have drawn to Sarasota County.

“Wilson Premier brought a weekend tournament to us last September to test the waters, and we demonstrated that Sarasota County and the Orioles’ facilities are ideal for elite competition and larger events,” said David Rovine, Vice President of Orioles-Sarasota. “The Wilson Premier Championship East is an opportunity for college and professional baseball scouts to see young players in action.”

The tournament will include 240 teams from across the country. Players ages 15 to 17 will compete during five-day tournaments that span three weeks. Games will be played on the five fields at the Buck O’Neil Baseball Complex at Twin Lakes Park, as well as the main field and three practice fields at Ed Smith Stadium.

“The drawing power for Sarasota is the combination of community assets, the quality and number of playing fields at the Orioles’ facilities and elsewhere in the region, and the can-do attitude of the Orioles’ staff,” said Matt Bliven, Wilson Tournament Director. “We are impressed by the professional facilities for the teams, which allow us to showcase talents of players for visiting scouts.”

The Orioles also have earned a reputation for repeat business. For the third year, Game Day USA will bring its four-day Thanksgiving tournament to the Orioles’ facilities. The event draws players, coaches, and families from throughout the Midwest.

Baseball tournaments, camps, and clinics hosted by the Orioles in Sarasota County attract more than 25,000 participants and spectators each year. Many of these players, families, and coaches travel from outside the local community for multi-day events.

A recent independent analysis commissioned by Sarasota County Government concluded that the Orioles generate approximately $89 million in annual economic impact back to taxpayers and residents. By marketing Sarasota to fans in the Mid-Atlantic region, operating a year-round athletic training facility, producing entertainment and sporting events, partnering with charitable causes, and hosting and often subsidizing youth sports tournaments and activities, the Orioles demonstrate an abiding commitment to their Florida home that goes far beyond baseball. For details, visit www.orioles.com/Sarasota.Try Amazon Music Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial